ANI
The suspect was sent to a hospital for treatment, according to a statement issued by Zhuhai police on Tuesday. Police identified the man only by his family name Fan, in line with the practice of Chinese authorities. The police statement said the vehicle mowed down several pedestrians on Monday evening.
Thirty-five people were killed and 43 others were injured when a car plowed into a group of people outside a sports center in China’s southern city of Zhuhai. The suspect, a 62-year-old divorced man, drove his car into the crowd. The suspect was trying to harm himself with a knife when the police caught him on the spot. The suspect was sent to a hospital for treatment, according to a statement issued by Zhuhai police on Tuesday. Police identified the man only by his family name Fan, in line with the practice of Chinese authorities. The police statement said the vehicle mowed down several pedestrians on Monday evening.
It was not immediately clear whether it was an attack or an accident. No motive was mentioned and police said the investigation was ongoing. President Xi Jinping urged people to help fellow citizens injured in the hit-and-run case, Chinese state media reported. Video showed a firefighter performing CPR on a man, as people were asked to leave the scene. These were shared by news blogger and dissident Li Ying, known as Teacher Li on X. Their account posts daily news based on suggestions from users.
Discovery of the incident was heavily censored on Chinese social media platforms. Searching Weibo for Sports Center turned up only a few posts, a couple of which mentioned the fact that something had happened, without any pictures or details. Chinese media articles about Monday night’s incident were removed. Chinese Internet censors take extra precautions in scrubbing social media before and during major events such as the meeting of the National People’s Congress, where the government announces its major policy initiatives for the coming year.
